Perfect Peloponnese

We spent 7 nights at the free camping spot at the forest and we are now totally chilled and ready to move to explore the rest of this beautiful country. For us Greece is all about the coast and beaches we don’t intend on doing much of the touristy stuff in fact if I never see another Roman house, theatre or road again I won’t be too upset. We intend to try and hug the coast around the Peloponnese before heading to northern Greece then towards Bulgaria and Hungry in a couple of months time.

The Peloponnese is the ‘udder-shaped’ or ‘3 fingers and a stubby thumb’ part of southern Greece.

Tuesday 1 May

Our last day at the forest was a bank holiday for ‘Labour Day’. Keith and I went over to the beach at 10am and when we came back for lunch there were loads of large family groups dotted around under the trees. They came with their cars chuck a block with tables, chairs, bbq, food and what appeared to be half the house. It was a great atmosphere with music, lots of chatter, laughter, kids playing and the fabulous smell of the food. 2 families had settled themselves under the tree near to where we were parked and at tea time they came over and gave us some of their bbq, a delicious sausage and pork chop with a lemon to squeeze over the food, it was delicious. Later that evening we were invited to the other side of the forest to join the ‘friends of the forest’ who had set up loads of tables and chairs, food and alcohol. We were introduced to the mayor of the town who appeared to have indulged a little too much of the local wine. By 9pm everyone had left without leaving a trace they were ever here.

We managed to get a load of movies downloaded on the hard drive from Carol & Phil an English couple who have been travelling around for at least 7 years and regularly stay at the forest for months at a time.

Wednesday 2 May

We did a quick stop at Lidl and 107 euros later Eugene was fully stocked up and we headed to our next free camperstop.

What we have noticed as we’ve been driving through the country is how the recent collapse of Greece has affected the country. Many places restaurants, cafes, hotels and campsites appear to have closed down completely and been left for nature to finish the job. Very few places are open and even fewer getting ready for the season.

We drove round to the village of Pylos, a little fishing port in a natural harbour sheltered by Sfaktiria Island. After a walk around the town Keith purchased a mask and snorkel and we managed to pick up a portable solar shower which we know will come in handy.

We decided to try a Greek coffee something our bodies have definitely told us ‘don’t drink that again’ as we had to make a quick walk back to Eugene, if you know what I mean lol.

We spent the afternoon at the small beach and then sat alongside the marina watching a fisherman catch the tiniest of fish and throwing them back in the water, not a very productive day for him.

 

The weather today has been a little overcast at times but the temperature has hit 30 degrees this afternoon. At the minute we’re managing to keep Eugene cool by keeping all the blinds closed when we’re parked up during the day, but it’s still incredibly warm.

Although the parking in Pylos is located in a great spot the same can’t be said for our nights sleep or lack of it. A fishing boat pulled in during the evening and anchored at the side of the harbour wall near us and put the generator on all night, the winds picked up significantly which in turn rocked Eugene so we felt we were actually on the sea, we had to keep all the windows and roof lights down because of the wind so it was unbearably hot and it rained on and off all night. The masts on the boats and flag poles clinked and clacked, the stray cats near the bins were screeching most of the night the dogs were barking as usual and someone let off a very load banger or at least we thought was a banger, which frighten the life out of us, and the church bells chimed every hour, it’s fair to say we didn’t get a wink of sleep.

Thursday 3 May

After getting a top up card for our data we set off south along the coast. The first 2 free camping spots we looked at weren’t suitable, the winds picked up and it’s blowing right into the beach. We head across to the east side of the finger and come to the small harbour town of Agois Andrea which has parking on the harbour side next to a closed campsite.

The wind is really strong and sitting on the beach is out the question so we sit behind the breakwater. The harbour is not suitable for swimming so Keith braves the wind and the sea algae to take a dip on the other side on the beach. After his swim he rinses off at the beach shower but the wind is so strong he has to stand the other side of the shower head to get the water.

There’s not a lot in the town, one very small street with a string of bakeries and cafes, not all open and those that are are getting ready for the summer season.

Friday 4 May

We have a very quiet night and in the morning I head off to get fresh bread. I have to buy a kilo loaf which is massive but it only cost 1.80 Euro. We fill up with water from the town fountain and we’re ready to go.

We head off further up towards the north trying to keep to the coast where possible, again the stops are not suitable for us because of the wind which is still a bit of a problem but it is due to die down within the next 24 hours.

We’ve travelled the first ‘finger’ and now we’re on the west side of the second.

We find the very pretty, small harbour side village of Agios Nikolaos and park in the gravel carpark right by the sea. The beach is rocky so no swimming for Keith today. We take a walk along the coast for about 2 miles where there are sandy beaches but the draw of the surf is too strong for swimming.

We follow the road signs to the lighthouse expecting to see a big light house, big disappointment not like any lighthouse we’ve ever seen lol.

We stop at a local taverna for a Friday night drink, the place is packed with English, South Africans and Americans all participating in a quiz competition and come to think of it haven’t heard anyone speak Greek in this town.

Although the sea is incredibly loud we manage to get a good nights sleep.

Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 May

After buying fresh bread we head off again. Snooper has taken us off the motorway and down some smaller roads, which is great but Olive tree branches don’t bend and we have to reverse back down one of the roads because we just can’t squeeze Eugene through without causing significant damage.

We drive along the coast as far as we can until we come to a great beach where we stop for a coffee, the best frappe we’ve had so far. The wind is blowing right into the bay, but that doesn’t stop Keith from braving the waves for a quick swim. The wind is too strong for us to consider stopping for the night which is a shame.

We head off up the mountain roads and see some of the wildlife on the way. We nearly bump into a tortoise walking along the side of the road, but it was too quick by the time we had stopped and I’d jumped out the van and ran down the road, so didn’t get a good photo. We finally get to see a live snake, we were beginning to think that snakes without heads were a new species. These snakes are about a metre or more long and really quiet ugly with huge bulky heads, and lizards darting across the road.

We get to our next free camperstop at Kamares Beach. We end up staying here for two nights. The wind is blowing out to sea so it’s just a gentle breeze with small insignificant waves lapping on the shore. It’s about 24 degrees. We park right at the end of the beach and there’s not a soul about until late afternoon when another camper parks up nearby. We’ve practically got the beach to ourselves.

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After a relaxing day we decide to have a bbq for tea. I’d bought some Greek sausages and they look ideal for the Bbq. We’ve got a couple of disposable BBQs and decide to use one of these, not having used one before. We follow the instructions but by the time I’d put the last sausage onto cook the first one already had one side charcoaled, so a typical bbq then.

We went for a cycle to try and find some water that we could put in the solar shower not wanting to use our drinking water but we couldn’t find any public taps. There’s absolutely nothing around here, the cafes and bars are all closed with no hint of getting ready for the summer season, no shops or bakery we are practically in the middle of nowhere.

We use the solar shower for the first time and it’s great, one shower holds 20 litres of water which is enough for us both. The bag had been sat in the direct sunlight all afternoon and it was a great temperature. A number of reasons to use the solar, saves on our gas, we keep our shower clean and it’s cooler showering outside.

Monday 7 May

The weather has changed and rain is forecast for most of the coming week. We decide to move on further south towards Gytheio.

On the way we stop at Mavrovouni Beach and decide to stay here for the night. There’s several tavernas here but only 2 or 3 are open along the mile or so long beach.

We get settled on the beach and an hour later it starts raining so we head to the taverna for coffee and use the free WiFi. The weather is really overcast but still very warm and it’s only a matter of time before the heavens open. Once the rain stops we go for a walk again there’s nothing around, 3 campsites further along which all seem to be busy, and we make it back to Eugene just as the heavens open. We spend the next couple of hours inside, reading and updating the blog.

We have a problem with the fridge there is a strong smell of burnt gas, the carbon monoxide reader isn’t showing a problem but Keith takes the flue apart and gives that a clean in hope it sorts things out.

The rain clears early evening, having being cooped up all afternoon we decide to treat ourselves to a meal at the taverna, which was very good.

The weather is supposed to be unsettled for the rest of the week so we’ve got to make sure we makes plans so we’ve something to do if it does rain and we can’t sprawl out on the beach all day.

Have a great Liberation day on Wednesday and I’m sure we’ll have a drink or two to celebrate with you all.

A la perchoine

Shirena & Keith

Xxxxxx